Atonement. Do you believe in atonement ? Are we bound to atone for our past transgressions in some way ? That is one of the central questions in life. Yes, it is tied up with religion. All religions include some form of atonement. Punishment is often associated with the attainment of atonement. Hell for instance. Or perhaps repeating life on earth as a lower form. Karma baby. What goes around ,comes around.
Yes I think we must all make reparations in one form or another for our misdeeds. Maybe that is what fate is. We create our own fate, by our own deeds. Then why do bad things happen to good people ? A valid question and a puzzling one. Is there a God or some other deity that wishes to test our strength ? That is a possibility but leaves another question, why ? Are the troubling times an opportunity to atone ? Are our reactions to the bad things a sort of counterbalance ?
In examining this puzzle another question would be, to whom must we make reparations ? That is where God enters the picture. Must we make amends with our God ? And in so pleasing him attain atonement and therefore everlasting peace ? Certainly that would seem to be the case. We have so little control over so many factors that effect our lives that it can be no other way. That is the reason we turn to outside sources for our comfort and strength. We pray. Sometimes we blame, and sometimes we abandon that course of action altogether. We lose our faith. Always though we look elsewhere for the answers. It is my belief however that the truth lies inside us all. And that is where we need to look and make amends. In examining our lives and past actions, whether positive or negative, we can make changes. It is in those changes that we gain atonement. It is not acts that we perform, but rather an enlightenment of our mind that gives us this atonement. We find peace with our God. Reparations must be made to ourselves. That is the answer I think. We must atone for our past by living our future. Therein lies the enigma that is life. Does it really begin and end ? We only know of this existence. If we atone for our past by living our future, what is the result of obtaining that atonement ? Can't be living our future and can't be repeating the past. Is it what some religions call, Nirvana ? Some call it heaven. Whatever it is I think it lives within us all and it is just a matter of finding it. Can't hurt to take a good look around.
Yes I think we must all make reparations in one form or another for our misdeeds. Maybe that is what fate is. We create our own fate, by our own deeds. Then why do bad things happen to good people ? A valid question and a puzzling one. Is there a God or some other deity that wishes to test our strength ? That is a possibility but leaves another question, why ? Are the troubling times an opportunity to atone ? Are our reactions to the bad things a sort of counterbalance ?
In examining this puzzle another question would be, to whom must we make reparations ? That is where God enters the picture. Must we make amends with our God ? And in so pleasing him attain atonement and therefore everlasting peace ? Certainly that would seem to be the case. We have so little control over so many factors that effect our lives that it can be no other way. That is the reason we turn to outside sources for our comfort and strength. We pray. Sometimes we blame, and sometimes we abandon that course of action altogether. We lose our faith. Always though we look elsewhere for the answers. It is my belief however that the truth lies inside us all. And that is where we need to look and make amends. In examining our lives and past actions, whether positive or negative, we can make changes. It is in those changes that we gain atonement. It is not acts that we perform, but rather an enlightenment of our mind that gives us this atonement. We find peace with our God. Reparations must be made to ourselves. That is the answer I think. We must atone for our past by living our future. Therein lies the enigma that is life. Does it really begin and end ? We only know of this existence. If we atone for our past by living our future, what is the result of obtaining that atonement ? Can't be living our future and can't be repeating the past. Is it what some religions call, Nirvana ? Some call it heaven. Whatever it is I think it lives within us all and it is just a matter of finding it. Can't hurt to take a good look around.
My beliefs on these questions are simple, and are easily answered. The belief in the Biblical Jesus as Savior who took upon Himself all of the world's sin,past,present and future. That is why God came in the form of Jesus...to take it all to hell, and lock it behind the gates. Asking forgiveness from Jesus is all we need to do in this belief, but then we tend to WANT to change our ways. Without Jesus as our attonement, we would have to suffer for all eternity in the fires of hell. This is the basic belief of Christianity...it's not enough to just say, "I'm a Christian." What makes us a Christian who is redeemed of our wrong doing is asking forgiveness and belief that Jesus has already paid the debt. Without that belief and forgiveness...we're still lost in the search.
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